One Last Sunset
by Mizuno-Suzuka
Summary: A dream. It had to be a dream. Just like the one's he'd had for days, weeks, even months now. This wasn't happening. It couldn't be. He refused to believe that this would be Her one last time to see the sun set. NaruHina Rated T just in case I feel like going crazy. You all know my stories. :3
1. Chapter 1

NaruHina- One Last Sunset

The cliffs over Konoha were lit red, as if immersed in rubies, as the sun set and closed the day. Naruto had his knees hitched up to his face, his eyes narrow in fatigue as he watched the water like scene in the distance. Another day was coming to a close and he had drawn no conclusion. He couldn't believe Sakura anymore because of what had happened earlier with her. Most of his friends supported him, but had become distant after a while, wondering what his problem was from afar. He was so sick of everyone that he didn't really know what to feel at the moment. So he chose to feel nothing. He felt dead at the moment, and he didn't feel like changing it.

His ears twitched when he heard someone coming from behind him. He almost told them to go away, but he could sense that the person wasn't necessarily there to be with him. He didn't turn and only looked to see who it was when they had sat down, several feet to the left from him, and continued to look serenely at the sunset.

It was Hinata.

Naruto was surprised. She wasn't blushing, she wasn't speaking with a stutter, she was just at peace, here on the top of the cliff.

"I didn't follow you here." She said softly, brushing part of her hair from her face. "Just so you know. I come here all the time… but people will think that I…" She trailed off. Naruto shrugged his shoulders. He hadn't assumed she came to talk to him, though many people had.

"If you prefer, I could leave." She said suddenly, her position was acutely awkward. Naruto was taken aback and moved his knees down.

"Nah… you're alright." He replied slowly. "I'm just not used to people up here is all."

"It's quiet here… more peaceful." She remarked, imitating his pose from earlier. Her hair swished slightly in the breeze. " I can get away from everything here… no matter what it is. And no one else… well, until you came Naruto-kun, ever came here… It's like my sanctuary." Naruto stared at her for a moment in disbelief, but she did not look at him. He turned back to the sunset in awe, watching the remains of the red sun sink into the depths of the earth.

"It's too sad, the setting sun." She was standing now, and walking away. Naruto stood too and hastened to catch up with her. She was quick. He remembered how fast she had come to his rescue.

"Hinata- I wanted to Thank you, you know for…" Hinata had turned around, her face puzzled.

"But Naruto…" She said softly. "Don't you know that I'm dead?" Naruto stopped dead in his tracks in disbelief and horror. The kage mountain seemed to shrink and suddenly it was just her and him in the pitch black nothingness. She slowly faded away, and Naruto reached out to touch her hand.

Naruto awoke screaming. He looked around his bedroom, frazzled and confused. It was all a dream? All of that? He shook his head and rubbed his eyes, looking over at his messed up clock. Four in the morning again. Same dream, same time. He was starting to wonder now.

His weeks had been extremely restless, but he hadn't expected the nightmares that pursued him. He'd locked himself up in his house and hadn't left in many days. He lost track after a while, ignoring pleas and threats from his friends. Eventually they had just stopped coming. All except one.

She came every day. She never said a word, so he wasn't sure of who it was. He only knew it was female because she had nothing to say. She just stood by the door for hours at a time, then left. He felt oddly comforted by this figure, and though he was tempted to see who it was, he wasn't that intensely curious.

He stepped out of bed and walked into his kitchen. The milk was bad again. So it had been more than a week. He'd have to stop at the store soon, or he'd starve to death. He wasn't particularly happy about having to do so, being that it meant seeing his friends hurt faces. He didn't want to hurt them, but he didn't want anything to do with them either.

He sighed and closed his refrigerator. Time to face reality, even if it was as unpleasant as his dreams.

He decided to be somewhat inconspicuous that day. He pulled on a black t-shirt and one of his newer black hoodies that he rarely wore because they had not one spec of orange on them. He threw the hood over his head and walked out of his house, headed for the grocery. As one last precaution, he used a jutsu to make himself look like an ordinary teenager. Then, he headed on in the pouring rain.

Hinata stared out her window quietly, without feeling. She was so tired her eyes were barely staying open. She was sick of this sick feeling in her stomach all the time, she was sick of being cooped up in the house during the mornings and being watched during the afternoons. At least, she thought, it was Neji they were sending with her. He let her go where ever, and kept her most desperate secret, well, a secret.

She'd been visiting Naruto every day for 13 days. Nearly two weeks, and he'd still not left his house. She was worried that he might never leave. Neji assured her that he would leave when he felt safe in the village again, but Hinata was almost positive that wasn't why he was hiding out. She had a feeling he was hiding inside himself, trying to figure out what he was going to do next. It was classically Naruto to do so after all.

She sighed, feeling tired and incomplete. Stretching, she looked on into her window again and pulled her legs over her bed. Instantly, she felt nauseous and stopped moving. She wasn't quite sure why she felt this way. She pushed it out of her mind and looked at the door, hearing a slight knock.

"You may enter." She said in a quiet voice. Hanabi entered. She looked uncomfortable and she was blushing slightly.

"Father noticed the bruises on your arms… and that you've been sick a lot lately…" She said quickly, almost as if she couldn't wait to get it over with. "He wants you to go see him as soon as is possible." Hinata, puzzled, stood and walked to the doorway. Hanabi led the way into the small section of the house where their father usually stayed.

"Whenever your ready sister." Hanabi said, bowing. Hinata was surprised, being Hanabi generally regarded her as a lower life form of the Hyuuga. Hinata shrugged it off and went into her father's office.

"We need to talk child, sit."


	2. Chapter 2

NaruHina One Last Sunset- Chapter 2

Naruto walked slowly to the store. His slight paranoia did not keep him from looking over at the side roads to see if he noticed anything odd. He felt jumpy and out of place as he walked, hoping desperately no one knew it was him. He had little confidence in his disguise. However, just as he reached the grocery, Sakura and Ino stepped out. He stopped dead in his tracks, hearing the end of their sentence.

"He's not coming out Sakura." Ino said. "Face it. He's sick of Konoha right now. The only reason he's still here right now is because of his dreams to become Konoha's leader. He doesn't want us hanging around him until things have cleared up."

"He's locked himself in his _house_! " Sakura cried out in frustration. Naruto felt a stab of guilt go through his chest. " He's got to stop being so selfish! We _want_ him back with us! What is so bad now that he can't just come back?" Ino shook her head.

"Naruto needs some time to adjust." Ino said. "And…. Maybe some time away from you." Sakura looked at Ino incredulously, curiosity in her eyes. "I mean… you did kind of confess your uh… 'love' for him out of the blue you know." Sakura blushed with chagrin and turned away from Ino.

"I don't really know how to feel anymore." She said under her breath. She walked and slammed right into Naruto, who was paralyzed with shock.

"Er… sorry sir…" She barely glanced at his face and continued on. Ino looked on at her in worry, than turned to look at the disguised Naruto.

" She didn't mean to slam into you." Ino said quietly. "She's just a mess lately." Naruto shook his head.

"Um… I hope she gets better then…" He stammered. Ino's eyes narrowed suspiciously for a moment, but then she too walked away without another word. Naruto took a deep breath and continued on to the store.

Hinata stared at her father calmly. She knew she couldn't go on much longer without letting him know, but she didn't know how to tell him. But it looked as if he'd made the conclusion himself.

"Hinata, I have been watching you for a month now." He said slowly. "I am worried for you health… these bruises, the mood swings and your changing eating habits… I have an idea of what's going on. And I need to know." He looked at her, his face stern now.

"Are you pregnant?" Hinata recoiled in surprise, her eyes wide.

"P-pregnant?" She stuttered. "Father… I- I'm a virgin! I would never dishonor the family name so!" Her face turned such a shade of purple that her father instantly believed what she said.

"Relax Hinata, relax… you're father is recovering from a bit of shock himself…" Neji said, coaxing her to breath normally. She took a deep breath.

"Father…" she said looking at him. "That is not the issue… There is another problem."

Hiashi raised his eyes in confusion, and Hinata took a deep breath.

"I went to the medic office about three weeks ago." She said. "They gave me some bad news…" Hanabi at that moment stumbled in, and Hiashi looked sternly at her.

"What is it Hanabi?" Hiashi asked coldly. Hanabi kept her eyes down.

"Father… There is a doctor here to see you. He says it is important." Hinata's eyes widened in shock.

"A doctor?" Hiashi asked in confusion.

"I will let him in." Hinata said standing fluidly. "He… he'll explain what I…" She trailed off and left the room. Neji looked on in pity and Hiashi looked at him.

"What is it Neji?" Hiashi asked. "I know she confides in you." Neji sighed and turned his gaze to his uncle.

"Since you're about to find out anyway…" He took a deep breath and looked his uncle in the eye. "Hinata is dying."

Naruto had no trouble getting what he needed from the store and getting on his way just as quickly. The manager of the store barely looked at him twice as he paid, and no one paid him any mind as he walked stiffly out of the store. So far, his disguise had held up.

He was passing by the Hyuuga residence when he saw a Medic-nin standing at the door. Hinata was standing there conversing in a low tone with him. She looked distressed and slightly irritated. Her eyes were narrow and had dark shadows beneath them. Her skin had a sallow, pale color to it. Naruto stopped short, slightly startled by her pallor. Sure, the Hyuuga heiress was quite pale for someone of the leaf village, especially in comparison to himself, but she was nearly bone white.

Despite himself, Naruto felt himself lean forward to hear what she was saying to the medic-nin.

"I asked kindly that you would wait until I had asked for an audience with you to come see my father." Hinata said, her voice uncharacteristically sharp. Her eyes seemed tired.

"This cannot wait Hyuuga-sama." The medic replied strongly. "You're condition is only getting worse. You cannot waste another day putting off telling your family that it is serious."

"They will know. On my terms." Hinata said, the exhaustion in her voice clear. "My father noticed today. I know I cannot hide that I am dying anymore."

Naruto's breathing stopped. The bag he was holding spilled out of his hands. His eyes were wide in terror.

Hinata was dying.


	3. Chapter 3

NaruHina- One Last Sunset- chapter 3

Naruto ran so fast he didn't even know where he was as he ran. He just wanted to get far, far away from what he'd just heard. His groceries lay forgotten on the Hyuuga compound, and his feet, he forced to continue running.

The nightmare played in his head like a sick song.

"What IS this?" He asked himself in horror. "How could I… was that a premonition?" He forced himself to stop suddenly. Was this what happened when he locked himself away for two weeks? He wondered if anyone else was in some kind of terrible pain. Suddenly, he felt like a cad for having locked himself away.

"I'm so stupid… So selfish…" He said, his head turned down toward the grass. "I was only thinking of myself… AGAIN!" He slammed his fist into the nearest tree, sending the birds that were perched upon it sprawling away in alarm. He breathed in heavily, his anger starting to rise. And then a hand found its way to his shoulder. He spun around, his face contorted still in anger, but it softened when he found Neji standing before him, a sad look upon his face.

"I take it you heard the news." He said, not even trying to beat around the bush. "You left this at the gate of our compound. I have a feeling you weren't making a house call." He handed Naruto his forgotten bag of food stuffs. Naruto took it dejectedly.

"Neji…" He said, his voice defeated. "What have I been doing these past two weeks?" Neji looked at the Jinchuriiki sympathetically.

"You've been trying to hide from yourself." He said. "It's normal… Everyone does it here and there." But suddenly his expression became stern.

"But don't think you owe Hinata anything because she's sick Naruto." Neji said. "The last thing she'd want is for you to take pity on her."

"Neji," Naruto said, stopping him before he could continue. "I owe Hinata a lot. But I don't pity her. In a way, I almost envy her. She's being strong through this… I respect that." He turned away for a moment, looking at the sky.

"I think it's time I come back into the real world, and stop feeling pity for the one person who doesn't deserve it… Me."

Hinata led the medic-nin into the conference room where her father was still seated. She was surprised to see that Neji had left. The face her father portrayed told her that she was going to be very angry at her cousin.

"How long?" Hyuuga Hiashi asked. Hinata's breath hitched.

Yes. She was going to be VERY angry with her cousin.

"It's hard to give a good estimate being we're not truly sure what it is or what it's doing… All we do know is it's aggravated by her heritage as a Hyuuga. Somehow, because of the clan's use of chakra through the pores, it has weakened the muscles, hence the bruising, and weakened her organs, hence the sickness… If I had to guess, and it would be just that, I'd say around a year, maybe less." Hiashi sat in silence, his face impassive. Hinata's face burned red in embarrassment and in fury.

"Is there a way to find out what it is and stop it?" Hiashi said, his tone businesslike. It left no room for argument.

"My only suggestion is to take Hinata off of training, missions, and anything that involves using chakra. This will prolong her life exponentially, and possibly reverse some of the damage already done in her weakened condition. However, I'm afraid, if she continues such activities, it will decrease the amount of time she has."

Hiashi's face contorted in fear for a moment. At risk for losing a daughter to some foreign disease if he allowed her to continue training, but losing an heiress who had just earned the right to be so if he did not. His hands were tied.

But it did not take more than that moment to decide what was more important. Hinata saw the decision in his face.

"NO!" She cried out, standing up and towering over the two men who sat discussing her future. "I am a ninja. I will NOT lay aside my job, my duty, because of a little sickness! I-"

"Hinata, you are dismissed." Hiashi said without looking at her. "We will have this discussion later. Please go around the grounds and take your sister with you. This is no longer your affair." Hinata was so taken aback that she couldn't even reply. She just turned heel and stole out of the room, tapping her sisters shoulder outside the door as she passed as an indication that she should follow. Hiashi sighed and waited until he heard her footsteps fade away.

"It's the use of chakra that's making her whither away?" Hiashi asked. "Is there a way to seal her chakra so even if she tried, she were not able to use it?"

Hinata did not even try to stop the tears that flowed from her cheeks. All of those years, striving, trying so hard, just to earn the respect of the Hyuuga. Now she had it, and it was being stripped away. How was this fair? The tears just wouldn't stop flowing from her eyes.

" Why is this happening?" She asked aloud to no one in particular. "What have I-"

"Hinata, you've done nothing wrong. Don't even think of finishing that sentence." Hinata turned to see her cousin walking toward her. She was so determined to be angry at him, but in her despair, all the fight had left her. She ran toward him and embraced him.

"Neji, they're going to restrict me from being a shinobi. I knew the look on fathers face… I will not be given a choice." Neji was taken aback by this. He didn't know it was quite that serious, nor had he any inclination that Hiashi would take it to such extremes. He slowly and gently pushed his cousin away so he could look her squarely in the face.

"Hinata… do what you have to do to calm down. I will see what I can do for you in the meantime." Hinata nodded and set off to the one abode she had left.

Sitting with Naruto.


	4. Chapter 4

NaruHina – One Last Sunset chapter 4

Naruto unlocked his door slowly, glaring at it as if it had offended him. He heard the lock click on the door, but there he stood for just a moment, taking in the sounds around him. It was quiet around town. There were no sounds, but for those of the wind and the soft rustling of winds. He found himself enraptured in it for the moment.

All these days, he'd been sitting inside his house, in his room, thinking of nothing. His whole being had been sucked inside, like a vortex. It was maddening to him now. He nearly punched the door in frustration when he heard a sharp intake of breath behind him. He turned around, and in surprise, gaped at the wordless Hinata, who stood behind him.

"N…Naruto?" She stammered. Her eyes were wide. The blush began to settle on her face. "You… you left your house?" Naruto smiled sheepishly, chagrined at the fact that she had caught him. However it was quickly wiped away with curiosity when he realized that she was heading towards his door, and there wasn't any particular reason for her to have to see him. It was then that he realized, that the woman who had been sitting by his door every day, was Hinata. His expression softened and his posture relaxed. He pushed open the door.

"Hey Hinata… Wanna join me for some ramen? I've been kinda lonely the past couple days. I could use some company. Especially someone who's not going to slam me into my wall for locking up." Hinata smiled shyly and nodded cautiously, only moving forward when Naruto gestured for her to do so.

Hinata gently removed her sandals and looked about the room with great interest. It wasn't furnished well, but no man's house was when he was all alone. She'd been to Shino's home before and Kiba's though both seemed more… filled than Naruto's dwelling.

However Naruto did have many pictures spattered about the walls. And not just photographs, but paintings, and murals, and all sorts of things, all with people he loved, cared about and knew. Hinata shyly observed that she herself was depicted in a few, always showing a glowing face and bright shining eyes. She blushed to see one painting depicting her by herself, in the fighting stance she held when she fought Pain.

"Sai painted that for me." Naruto commented, noticing her chagrin at the obvious placement. "It's a memorial of what you did for me… I will never, ever forget it Hinata. I wanted to thank you for it, and give that to you as a gift but…" He chuckled and ruffled his hair back sheepishly. "I just couldn't part with it." Hinata was taken aback. He thanked her, and he said he'd never forget. That made her happy. Suddenly, all of her worries about the day just seemed to fade away. She felt much better.

Naruto poured the contents of his bag onto the counter and Hinata observed that Naruto's cupboards were utterly bare. On his counter were a package of noodles, a few packages of ham and vegetables, and a quart of milk. He shoved the few items into his cupboards and took out a saucepan and filled it with water, and stuck it on the stove, lighting it quickly.

"You can have a seat if you'd like. Forgive the mess." Hinata nodded and went into the kitchen, pulling out one of the two chairs and sitting down in it. She looked around a bit more and found herself intrigued by a newspaper clipping of the fourth Hokage and a redheaded woman standing back to back near the Hokage mountain.

"Naruto-kun… Who is that woman?" Hinata asked, despite the rebuff in her mind to it being a rude question. Naruto turned his attention away from the hardly boiling water and smiled softly at the clipping.

"That's my mother… There weren't any pictures of her anywhere. I got that clipping from Tsunade baa-chan a couple weeks ago. He said looking at it fondly. "It's sad that I will never know her…" Hinata looked up sadly but Naruto's gaze wasn't truly focused on anything anymore. Hinata turned her attention to the boiling water. She stood up, trying not to knock him from his reverie. She took a fist full of noodles and placed them in the water, took a look at Naruto, and grabbed a few more. Naruto snapped out of it fairly soon after that, and turned to see Hinata preparing his food for him. He chuckled and leaned against the counter.

"You cook a lot?"

"Not really." She answered slowly. "I've been training a lot. I haven't had much time to cook. But I love to do it here and there."

Naruto smiled. Hinata looked very at home just standing over the stove. He slapped himself mentally for being so chauvinistic, but it was true. She looked happy, like she really truly enjoyed it. She added the ham and some vegetables and turned to Naruto.

"Oh, I'm afraid I don't think it would be right for me to poke around your house Naruto-kun, but-" Naruto smiled and nodded, knowing what she was referring you, and leaned above her to pull two bowls down from a cabinet. He then rummaged around a drawer to pull out a couple forks and set them on the table.

"You will stay, won't you?" Naruto asked hesitantly. He remembered what the doctor had said about… He stopped the thought, denying its existence. He genuinely wanted her company. But she probably needed to get home.

"Of course Naruto-kun." She said smiling. "I have nowhere I need to be tonight." She brought the pan over and poured most of the ramen into his bowl, giggling at his expression of ecstasy, and sat down across from him.

"Ittadakimasu!"

Neji walked back placidly to the Hyuuga compound, not charging anywhere in particular, when he ran into Hanabi. She was sitting in the gardens, looking thoroughly woebegone. She pulled a clump of grass from the ground and tossed it to the side. Neji cocked an eyebrow.

"Hanabi-san?" He asked as if he hadn't just been watching her. She jumped and whipped around, looking at her cousin blinking quickly.

"Uh… Neji-san." She said, averting her eyes. "I didn't know you were here." Neji rolled his eyes and smiled.

"I know you didn't." He sat down next to the small girl. "What's troubling you?"

Hanabi stayed silent for a moment, just brushing her hand against the grass. Then she turned to look at her cousin.

"Is… Is Hinata going to lose her spot as Hyuuga heiress again?" Neji was about to reprimand her for such thinking but realized she wasn't saying it in malice, but rather sorrow. Neji was quiet for a moment.

"I'm not sure Hanabi…" He began slowly. "That, I'm afraid, is up to the clan elders. As well as your father." Hanabi nodded and made no further comment. Neji sighed and turned his gaze towards the skies. He had a small feeling in his gut, that things were going to change, and change in ways none of them would see coming.


End file.
